Ball rolling game



Oct. 29, 1940. NELSON 2,219,934

BALL ROLLING GAME Filed Aug. 24, 1937 58 Mud/672250 r Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALL ROLLING GAME Application August 24, 1937, Serial No. 160,656

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a ball rolling game generally of the pin ball type, the game board thereof, instead of carrying the usual stationary pin obstacles, carrying one or more novel spinner devices, operable when engaged by a rolling ball to impart renewed velocity or roll to the ball for the purpose of creating th maximum ball action for the edification and amusement of the player.

The playing or ball rolling surface of the game board is bounded by a wall structure to delineate said surface, said walls being provided with a rubber or other yieldable cushion to cause a lively rebound of a ball striking same, thereby adding to the ball rolling action.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved ball rolling game.

Another object is to provide an improved operative obstacle element for such a game in lieu of the pins or other means usually employed.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide an improved obstacle in the form of a spinner.

Another object is to provide such a spinner 5 having a rubber or similar bumper periphery engageable by a ball to cause the ball to be spun and propelled over the game board, said periphery being at such a level above the board and in such relation to a ball of given diameter that the ball when hitting said bumper cannot be hit in a manner to cause it to rise oil the board.

Further, it is an object to provide a rubber or similar cushion edge for the play board, said edge being disposed at the same level or plane with {Sh bumper edge of the obstacle spinner memers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel spinner unit for use with ball rolling ames.

4 Still another object is to provide a spinner unit instantly operative when the game is released for play and including means to keep said spinner operative for a predetermined time interval.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly, these objects are attainable in the illustrative embodiment of the game herein disclosed in which a game board is provided in a cabinet and sloped in the usual way slightly from the horizontal, said board being bounded at its edges by a wall structure carrying a rubber cushion edge from which moving balls may re- 5 bound. On the board, or play surface are one or more spinner elements, each in the form of a circular disk raised above the play surface'to a level where it can carry a rubber or similar bumper edge at the same level, in fact in substantially the same plane with the cushion edge on the Walls. This level is selected in such relation to the diameter of the ball or balls used that the latter will be impinged by these bumper and cushion means considerably above the center of gravity of the balls, whereby the latter 10 when rebounding from said means will not be lifted or raised off the play surface and damage or strike the usual glass panel covering the game. The spinners are each constructed as a unit with a mounting bracket, a drive shaft, electric mo- 16 tor and a cooling fan to ventilate the motor. The motor for the spinner is placed in circuit when the game is released for play and means is provided to keep the circuit closed and the motor energized for a predetermined time interval. 20

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, showing one practicable form of the invention:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the improvd ball rolling game; and,

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal, sectional 25 view taken along the line 22 of Figure l and showing a spinner unit and an illustrative wiring diagram for the motor thereof, plus a time control device.

The game comprises the usual rectangular 30 cabinet l0 having a front wall H, a rear Wall l2, and opposite side walls l3, said walls carrying a game board l4 sloped slightly from the horizontal with its high end adjacent the rear wall l2. The upper or rear end of the board l4 carries an 35 arch piece l5 and the lower end carries a guide piece I6 the latter including a longitudinal narrow extensionv ll providing a ball projection passageway I8 along the right hand edge of the game board. A manually operable ball projector I9 is carried in the front wall II to project balls in the passage l8, along said passage in the well known way, and onto the upper end of the field [4, around the arch edge Hi to a rebound element 20 in a manner Well understood in this art.

The piece I6 is notched at 2| to provide a pocket into which spent balls rolling to the lower end of the board accumulate. The edges of the extension 11, the arch l5, one wall l3, and the piece I6, are grooved for mounting a rubber 50 bumper cushion 22, as shown. The front wall ll carries a coin released slide 23 of standard form, which is manually pushed into the cabinet to operate a conventional shuffle board, not shown, below the pocket 2| to drop accumulated balls through the board M to an under trough, not shown, which leads the balls to a manually operable lifter, not shown, for elevating the balls one at a time into the passage it for projection by the shooter 49. This structure is common in all games of this type and since it forms no part of the present invention, it has not been illustrated.

One or more spinner obstacle devices of the invention may be disposed on the play surface Hi and since they are all alike only one will be described. .As shown in Figure 2 these devices embody an electric motor 2 3, having a mounting bracket 25 secured to the underside of the board by screws 26 and the motor having an upright shaft 27 carrying below the motor a cooling fan 28 to ventilate the motor. The shaft 21 passes upwardly through the board it by means of an opening is; formed therein, said shaft above the board carrying a spinner disk 39 held in place by a nut 3!, said disk having an annular rubber bumper edge ring 32 disposed at the same level, and in the same or substantially the same plane with the bumper cushions 22. A ball, preferably of steel, is shown at 33 and the bumper and cushion plane mentioned is disposed at such a level that it will be substantially above the center of gravity of the ball 33, whereby when the latter rebounds from the bumpers 32 or cushions 22 it cannot accidentally be lifted off the surface ill and strike or break the usual glass panel 34 covering the game. This is a very desirable constructional feature. An annular metal skirt 35 is secured in any appropriate manner to the shaft 2'! between the bumper disk 38 and top surface of the board i l, said skirt preferably rotating with the shaft. In assembling the spinner on the board M the bracket assembly 25 with the motor and shaft is secured to the underside of the board with the shaft 2? projecting up through the hole 29 above the board, and the parts 35, 3B and 3! are then mounted on the shaft in the order stated.

Each unit includes an electrical circuit 36 with a source of energy 371' and a manually closable spring blade or other switch 38, said switch being closable upon operation of the coin slide 23, as indicated. When the slide is pushed into the cabinet the piston rod 39 of a dash pct engages and closes the switch 38 to close the circuit to energize the motor 2 3 and cause operation of the spinner 39, the latter remaining in operation until the dash pot til returns the piston 39 far enough to cause the blade switch 38 to open. Thus, the spinner can operate for a predetermined time interval in an obvious manner. Any other type of device 40 to result in a time lag may be used in practice, the one shown being merely illustrative. All of the spinners may be belted together for conjoint operation from a single motor, or each spinner may have an individual motor, all the motors being then arranged in a common circuit with a main control switch 33 in a manner readily understandable.

In operation one or more balls 33 will be released from the pocket 2! when the coin slide 23 is operated and at the same time the switch 38 is closed to operate the motor 24 and cause operation of each associated spinner. When a ball is now projected onto the field it by the shooter 99 it gravitates down the inclined board and field Hi and may impinge a rotating spinner S0, whereupon a sharp impetus is imparted in a random manner to repropel the ball, in a lively manner to the other spinners or to the cushions 22 for further rebounding movement. The device 40 serves to limit the time of operation of the spinners.

It is the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the form of the structure shown and described which do not in material respects constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a ball rolling game having a table inclined slightly from the horizontal and bounded by a marginal wall structure to delineate a ball rolling surface, said wall structure carrying a cushion edge surrounding the surface and of Medable material, and a glass paneloverlying the table, the combination with the table of a rotating disk carried on the table and operable When impinged by a ball rolling on the table to propel the ball over the table, said disk having an edge of yielda'ble material, with the said edge and cushion edge lying in a plane disposed above the center of gravity of a ball rolling on the table so that the ball rebounding from the cushion edge or disk will remain on the table and not strike the glass panel.

NELS A. NELSON. 

